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WWF says Halloween frights are really nice

By TIMES WIRES
Published October 28, 2006

If you like the thought of being scared by things like bats and spiders and toads - oh my! - at this time of year, the World Wildlife Fund wants to kill your boo buzz. Don't be creeped out, the conservationist group said in a press release this week, because some of Halloween's most infamous characters are actually beneficial to us. The following is taken directly from the release, in which all manner of ick gets some free P.R. spin. (We were particularly won over by the pro-maggot argument):

The buzz on bats: You've all heard tales of terror about the vampire bat: it soars; it swoops; it bites the necks of people in dimly lit cobblestone streets. Not true. There is no proof of fatal bat attacks on humans. Yes, vampire bats do live on a diet exclusively of blood, but they almost always opt for other animals besides humans. Cattle are a frequent target of theirs and they usually only extract a tablespoon or less of blood at a time, making very small cuts.

The truth about tarantulas: Tarantulas are known for their creepy fur-covered bodies and venomous fangs. But contrary to most Hollywood spider horror flicks, tarantula venom is not poisonous to humans. In fact, if most people knew what tarantulas eat - human pests like mice, crickets, moths and flies - they might change their opinions of them.

Mad for maggots: The site of maggots churns stomachs because they love to go where few of us dare to stray: dead and rotting meat. But maggots are enormously beneficial to the Earth. They are decomposing machines, breaking down rotting biomass and returning nutrients to the soil. If maggots didn't do that, who would?

The dirt on toads: Toads aren't only popular for their legs and eyeballs. They are incredibly sensitive to habitat changes and are excellent indicators of the health of an environment. When foreign chemicals are added to an ecosystem, toads are some of the first animals to suffer, so scientists study them for clues to environmental change. Toads are also efficient pest controllers and a great alternative to using pesticides in the garden. They eat insects, slugs and snails.

Observations on owls: Just because owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees and fly silently after dark doesn't mean they are up to mischief. As nocturnal animals and predators, owls go after many animals humans try to keep under control, like rodents and even large insects.

[Last modified October 28, 2006, 01:43:26]